


Electric Love

by Youremyalways



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Bellarke, Electrocution, F/M, Hurt Clarke Griffin, Hurt/Comfort, bellarke kids - Freeform, married Bellarke
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2021-02-18 11:41:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21610327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Youremyalways/pseuds/Youremyalways
Summary: Clarke gets electrocuted. Bellamy never leaves her side.Essentially some Clarke whump with a very caring Bellamy. (+ braiding, bellarke kiddies, and feeels)
Relationships: Bellamy Blake/Clarke Griffin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 235





	Electric Love

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoyyy & leave some loveee... xoxoxo

She woke up to her head pounding and her chest burning. Her body felt like it was cemented to the flat surface below her, every limb weighing hundreds of pounds. She felt immobile and her throat was uncomfortably dry. She stayed staring at the black expanse of her eyelids, mind running a hundred miles per minute. Her head pulsed against whatever pillow was placed underneath her scalp, the surface softer than what she was used to. On second thought, the mattress felt a lot firmer than usual too. 

“Bell?” She whispered in panic as she cracked her eyes open and darted her eyes around the area. Bellamy’s become her comfort system over the past few years and not having him around didn’t sit well with her at all.

“Clarke, hey, I’m right here.” His calm voice cut through Clarke’s panicked fog and she immediately felt the tension in his body disperse.

She tilted her head to follow the voice and her entire body visibly relaxed when her eyes landed on him. He looked awful, like he hasn’t slept in days. There were dark bags under his eyes and his lips were sealed in a low frown. The crows feet by his eyes were especially visible and all Clarke wanted to do was erase them. 

“Bellamy.” She repeated again in a labored breath, as if trying to assess if he was really there. 

“Hey.” He smiled, but Clarke could read the worry in the lines that formed between his brows and see the fear in his dark eyes.

Clarke watched as Bellamy scooted the chair he was in closer to her, gaze remaining fixed on her face, as if trying to figure out what he was thinking. After Clarke was sure that Bellamy was really there, she turned her head to look around. She was lying on a gurney in the medical tent- that much became clear from the obnoxious smell of disinfectant and the other beds identical to hers lined up against the walls. Clarke just couldn’t seem to remember how she ended up here. Did something happen in her sleep?

“I… what…” She shook her head and closed her eyes together tightly as she tried to remember what got her here. When she couldn’t quite get the puzzle pieces to fit together, she turned to Bellamy, “What happened?”

Clarke watched the adam’s apple bob in his throat as he started to explain, “You were in the lake getting some water to bring back to camp when some sort of EMP went off. Raven’s still trying to figure out where it came from, but I guess the water acted as one giant conductor. You got electrocuted, Clarke. It was…” He looked away from her for a second and took a deep breath, “It was pretty touch and go for a while.”

She bit down on her bottom lip and squeezed his hand in comfort, drawing his attention back to her. Clarke felt her heart sink when she took in the tears brimming on his eyelids. They didn’t fall, but rather left a glassy sheen over his irises.

“Hey, I’m okay now.” She reassured with a smile, stroking her thumb over his knuckles, “I promise I feel fine.”

He nodded, but Clarke could still sense his hesitation. This was the absolute worst, yet simultaneously best, part of being with him. He gave, gave, gave, and gave his heart away. He loved so intensely and blindly and never held back. It was wonderful and Clarke cherished it every single day. He made her feel like a goddess. However, with fierce love comes fierce protectiveness. Any time Clarke got so much as a paper cut, he was all over her. He didn’t believe she was okay until he got hard proof or was assured with time. 

But Clarke knew all that already, so she let it be.

A little smile creeped onto her lips as she asked, “Where are our girls?”

Clarke didn’t feel hurt persay, but she did feel very tired and very confused. Bellamy explained what happened, but she couldn’t seem to remember it herself. She just wanted her two constants in front of her: The love of her life and their daughters.

Bellamy couldn’t help but smile in return. He just loved the sound of that. Our girls.

“Madi’s still outside of camp with the other trainees, and our little Aurora,” He spoke the name a little louder and Clarke realized she must be right outside the tent, “Is right outside.”

Right on cue, Octavia came walking into the med tent with Aurora tucked against her hip. The young, beautiful two year old with the stunning blonde hair of her mother and indulging chocolate eyes of her father had her legs wrapped around the younger Blake’s waist. Her eyes were closed and her little chubby cheek was squished against Octavia’s shoulder, little hiccuped breaths falling from her lips. 

“Hey.” Clarke whispered to Octavia, smiling widely at the sight of her sleepy daughter. 

“Hey.” Octavia repeated quietly before approaching Clarke from the opposite side of the bed as Bellamy and taking a seat, “It looked pretty bad back there, how are you feeling?” 

Clarke smiled softly and reached out with the hand not gripping Bellamy’s to gently tuck some untamed blonde waves behind Aurora’s ear, “Can’t really complain. A little tired maybe, but I’ve been through worse than this.”

She felt Bellamy’s grip tighten on her hand when she mentioned her past pain, and squeezed his back in return. It was inconceivably difficult for either of them to see or hear about each other in pain. 

“Think we can get her into her mom’s arms without waking her up?” Bellamy asked quietly then, eyes gliding between the two blondes. 

Clarke turned to him and silently sent her thanks. Bellamy could see that his wife was confused and tired, and probably just wanted to hold her daughter. To be close to one of the people she loved the most.

Octavia raised her eyebrows in challenge and smirked as she looked down at the little girl, “Or die trying.” 

Clarke laughed softly and then she was slipping her hand out of Bellamy’s so she could carefully place two hands on Aurora’s back. Octavia released her hand from under the baby’s bottom once Clarke was supporting her weight and reached down to pull her legs gently off of her hip. She helped Clarke slowly lower her into the cradle of her arm so she could lay Aurora down with her head in the crook of Clarke’s neck. Immediately, Clarke nuzzled her cheek against her baby girl’s head and pressed a kiss to her hairline. Aurora shifted a little in her sleep but remained unconscious, much to all three adults’ relief. 

Clarke closed her eyes for a second and just breathed in the earthy smell of her daughter’s hair- homemade lavender shampoo- before opening her eyes and looking over to her husband. The tearful sheen that was present in his eyes before was back again in full force, but this time it was out of pure love and admiration. It’s been almost four years since they got their happy ending, but it still felt surreal at moments. Bellamy was looking at her like he was the moon and she was earth’s gravity pulling him in. She ran her fingers lazily over Aurora’s back and reached back over with her unoccupied arm to grab Bellamy’s hand again. He gratefully accepted with a smile.

They stayed like that for a minute, but then Clarke realized something was off. She had Bellamy and Aurora, but Madi was missing. Where was she? 

“Wait,” Clarke said after a minute, shaking her head as she tried to remember where her second daughter was, “Where’s Madi again?” 

Bellamy knit his brows a little before answering, “Training. Remember?” 

Clarke sighed and looked over to Octavia, who had the same expectant look in her eyes as her brother. Clarke did not remember, not explicitly anyway, but she could tell she was supposed to, so… she lied.

“Oh right, right.” She stuttered, “Of course. Sorry, I’m just still a little…” She gestured to her head, trying to indicate her wooziness and confusion.

Octavia laughed a little and playfully hit Clarke’s thigh, “Yeah, well, getting electrocuted will do that to somebody.” 

Clarke laughed a little in return but Bellamy remained completely stoic. Actually, he grew a little more tense.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” He asked after a few seconds with a weary voice, “Nobody expects you to be, Clarke. You can take all the time you need.” 

Clarle pushed her bottom lip out a bit and dismissively shook her head, “I really feel okay, Bell. You can stop worrying so much.” 

Octavia snorted and Clarke immediately shushed her on instinct, her overprotective mother side coming out full force. Bellamy glared for a second at his sister and Octavia threw her hands up in mock surrender.

“Sorry,” She whispered, “But asking Bellamy to stop worrying is like asking the sun to stop being hot.”

Clarke laughed a little and squeezed her husband’s hand. She loved how much he cared, but wished it didn’t equate to so much freaking worry. But, that’s the man she loved. She would choose him a thousand times over, and that includes his overbearing worry. 

“I know who I married.” Clarke replied smugly, raising her eyebrows a little and looking playfully at Bellamy. 

He ducked his head a little, but there was a mirroring smug expression on his face. Yeah, they were a little proud that after all of their issues both personal and widespread, they were able to get married and have a family. They were two of the very lucky few.

“So,” She said after a minute, “An EMP. What the hell?” 

Bellamy laughed a little, “Yeah, that’s what we thought, too. So far, no explanation.”

“There are two theories.” Octavia announced, crossing her legs as she continued, “Number one, it was an accident. Someone messed up with some wires and triggered the pulse. Number two, it was intentional. Sanctum, for some reason, decided that now is the time to go back to war and this was the initial attack.” 

Clarke straightened a little at that and rushed out, “Wait, are other people hurt?!”

Octavia quickly shook her head, “No. It was… only you.” 

She saw the realization hit Octavia and nodded her head slightly. However, Bellamy spoke before Clarke could get her thought out, “We’ve been at peace with Sanctum for years, why would they all of a sudden attack?”

Octavia and Clarke passed a weary glance and then the blonde was whispering, “I have a third theory. Someone was after me. Just me.” 

“No.” Bellamy denied immediately, and Clarke watched his gaze grow panicked as it trailed from her face to their daughter, “Why would somebody be after you specifically? You’ve been underground for the past three years, there’s nothing that would point to you!” 

“Woah, big brother,” Octavia reached across Clarke’s lap and placed a hand on Bellamy’s wrist, “Slow down. It was just a theory.” 

“Why would you think that?” He ignored Octavia and trained his gaze on Clarke, “Why would somebody be after you?” 

Clarke’s eyes widened and she squeezed his hand, “I’m not saying anyone is, Bell. I just mean… I’ve done some questionable things in the past and it wouldn’t be the most shocking thing if not everybody has forgiven me for them.”

“Okay, but why now?” He continued pressing, and she could both see and hear the anger building within him, “It’s been years since all of that!” 

Clarke felt Aurora nuzzle against her shoulder and she scolded in a yell-whisper, “Bellamy!” 

“I’m sorry.” He let out an audible sigh and pulled his hand up to his head, settling his forehead in his palm before repeating, “I’m sorry.” 

Clarke nodded in understanding and continued petting Aurora’s hair to soothe her. 

“I just…” He sighed and looked back up to eye three of the most important people in his life, “I don’t want to go back to that. To fighting for our lives- for your life. I can’t-”

“I know.” Clarke cut him off with a soft assurance, “I don’t want to go back there either. But… like Octavia said, it’s just a theory. And it’s probably the least likely one we’ve come up with.”

“She’s right, Bell.” Octavia echoed.

Bellamy nodded then and silently reached forward towards Aurora, placing his index finger over where her hand was curled around a fistful of the bed sheets on top of Clarke’s chest, “I know. It’s just… it’s not just us, anymore. We have so much more to lose now.” 

“No point in worrying about it now,” Clarke shrugged, “When Raven has news, we’ll hear it. Until then-”

“Until then, you’re resting.” Jackson’s voice suddenly cut through the air.

All three of them turned to see that Jackson was standing with Raven by his side in the doorway. He had a clipboard tucked in his armpit and a lazy smile on his lips. Once he had their attention, he stepped forward until he reached the foot of Clarke’s bed. 

“Jackson, I’m the daughter of a doctor,” Clarke’s voice was teasing, “I don’t need a diagnosis.” 

“That’s my call, Mrs.Blake.” He instructed with an amused and challenging tone. Then he leaned down slightly and smiled at Aurora’s sleeping form, “Hey, little one.” 

Clarke smiled softly in return and started on a rant, “My head doesn’t hurt. My chest was sore when I woke up, but it faded off mostly. I was slightly confused, but again, with time, it wore off. Other than that, I’m just tired, but that’s a normal symptom after an electric shock.”

“Clarke-”

“Oh, and I’ll let you know if any other symptoms come up.” 

Jackson raised a brow in amusement, “How’s your neck, Clarke?”

The blonde furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, “My neck?” 

Jackson nodded.

“Fine. Why would an electric shock…” And then she stopped talking as it dawned on her. She slid her gaze over to Raven, “The chip. You think the shock messed with it?” 

“I think it’s a possibility.” Raven nodded, “I want to take a look.” 

Clarke sighed and looked over to her daughter, “Okay.” 

Bellamy got up then and walked over to the opposite side of the bed, “I got her.”

He leaned down and carefully slid his hands around his daughter, being very gentle with untangling her fingers from the bedsheets. Bellamy lifted her slowly into his arms and up against his chest. Her head fell easily against his shoulder and her hand sleepily moved up to grip onto the collar of his tee shirt. He smiled a little and pressed a little kiss to her hair. 

Clarke frowned at the loss, but nonetheless sat up and flipped herself around so Raven could look at the back of her neck. Raven sat on the bed behind Clarke and gathered the blonde’s hair into a ponytail. She slipped an elastic off of her wrist and tied up her hair so she had full access to her neck. 

“Okay. Clarke, I-”

“It’s okay, Raven. Do it.” 

Bellamy knit his eyebrows, “Do what?” 

Raven shifted her gaze to Bellamy and sighed, “I can’t exactly see if it was affected if I can’t… see it.” 

Octavia and Bellamy’s eyes widened simultaneously and Clarke had to make a conscious effort to stifle a laugh.

“You mean…” Octavia started.

“Yeah,” Raven supplied, “I have to cut her neck to get inside.” 

“No way.” Bellamy spoke calmly, yet affirmatively. 

“Bellamy.” Clarke sighed in exhaustion, “It’s Raven. I’m perfectly safe. Plus, it’ll tell us if I’m okay. Which I already know I am, but somebody needs proof.” 

He swallowed and nodded hesitantly, shifting his grip a little on Aurora. 

“I can numb it if you want.” Jackson suggested, looking between Clarke and Bellamy.

“No, it’s fine. Save the supplies. I just want it over with.” Clarke waved him off and Bellamy groaned, but remained quiet on the issue. She was thankful. 

“Alright, Clarke.” Raven took a deep breath and reached to where Jackson just put down a disinfected scalpel. She picked it up and slowly lines it up with the tip of the scar on the back of Clarke’s neck, “Ready?” 

“Wait.” The blonde announced, throwing her hand out to the side and grabbing Octavia’s in hers. Both of Bellamy’s were taken, so she’d settle for the other Blake right now. Octavia gave her a reassuring squeeze and she was ready, “Okay. Go for it.”

Raven nodded and planted one hand supportively on Clarke’s shoulder before inserting the blade into her neck. When she started to slice down, Clarke let out a sharp breath and squeezed Octavia’s hand. 

Raven’s hand froze and she asked, “Okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry, keep going.”

Raven continued slowly, Jackson’s hand right beside hers wiping up the blood. Clarke scrunched her eyes closed and tried her hardest to focus on something- anything- other than the blade in her neck. 

“Mommy bleeding?”

Shit.

Clarke growled a little bit, because of course this is the moment Aurora chooses to wake up. 

“Bellamy.” Clarke gasped as the blade dug in a little further, hoping that the one word would tell him everything he needed to know.

“Look who’s awake.” Bellamy spoke in that lightened version of his voice he reserved only for his daughter, “Come on, let’s go see some flowers, huh?” 

He started to walk away, calling out before he reached the doorway, “Update me on everything- anything.” 

Raven agreed and then pulled the scalpel away from Clarke’s neck, reaching for the tweezers instead and starting to dig in. Clarke couldn’t stop herself from gasping as her body started shaking.

Aurora reacted immediately, kicking against Bellamy’s chest and punching at his shoulders with an ear piercing shriek, “Daddy, No!” 

“It’s okay, baby girl. Go with daddy.” Clarke called, scolding herself for the way her voice shook. 

Raven stayed focused on Clarke’s neck, trained to filter out distractions. All of the other adults turned to look at Aurora and Bellamy, looks of concern on their faces.

“I want mommy!” She shouted, continuing to punch Bellamy’s chest. 

“Mommy can’t come to you right now. She’ll be able to hold you really soon, I promise.” Bellamy told his girl, soothing his hand over her back. 

“I want her now!” She yelled back and Clarke couldn’t take it anymore. She loved her daughter more than anything, but she was trying really hard to keep calm and focus on the giant slit in the back of her neck and she couldn’t do that with her shreeching.

“Bellamy!” Clarke yelled again, more edged this time, impatient. 

He didn’t respond, but Clarke heard her daughter’s cries get immensely louder in time with his footsteps until they faded away together. He clearly left, going away to allow Clarke to calm down and unfortunately, take on the consequences of disobeying Aurora on his own. It warmed her heart, especially when she knows how badly Bellamy wants to be at her side right now. Has she mentioned how much she loves that man? 

Lost in her thoughts, Clarke didn’t even realize Raven had finished looking at the chip until she was pressing it back into her head. She winced and asked, “So?”

Raven shrugged and explained, “Everything looks good. The wires are all still intact and transmitting. With an electrocution, I’d be worried about the whole thing frying out, but it’s still perfectly functional. I’d say you dodged a bullet.” 

Clarke nodded and made to move, but then there was a hand on her upper back holding her down, “Uh uh, still gotta stitch you up.” 

She rolled her eyes at Jackson, but shut up and let him do it anyway. Octavia continued to hold her hand, but it was more out of habit than necessity at this point. 

“Still feel okay?” Jackson asked as he worked at the last couple stitches, “After sitting up and all.” 

“Yeah.” She assured, but she did feel a little dizzy. 

“That’s good, because I have news on the EMP. I figured out why it went off. It wa-”

Clarke’s brain suddenly clogged with fog. Her ears could only hear static, and she was trying to swallow. It felt like there was cotton in her throat and she couldn’t swallow. Why couldn’t she swallow? She reached up to feel her throat and then her head started pulsing. Her mouth was so dry, why was her mouth dry? Why couldn’t she swallow? She was trying to swallow. Cotton- there was cotton. Her head was pulsing. There was a heartbeat in her temple. There was supposed to be a heartbeat in her chest, why did it move? How did it move? Why did she taste cotton? He head starting pounding worse and worse by the second and she felt her jaw fall open. Were people calling her name? She could only hear fuzz. Maybe it was her own voice. Maybe she was hearing her own yelling. She couldn’t tell if it was her or someone else’s. There was a massive weight in her mouth, she felt like she was choking. Why was there something in her mouth? She didn’t eat anything. Tongue. It was her tongue. That made sense, right? The colors bled away and now she could only see black. Was she blind? Was she losing her sight? Was she dead? Why can’t she swallow? 

“Clarke!” Jackson yelled in panic, but the blonde was long gone from being able to hear him.

She was convulsing on the table, foam forming by the corners of her mouth and dripping down her rapidly paling cheeks. Her eyes rolled back into her head and her back arched off the bed. 

“She's seizing!” Jackson yelled, “Raven help me flip her. Octavia, get Bellamy!” 

Octavia took off as fast as she could, watching in her peripheral as Raven and Jackson flipped Clarke onto her side and stuck some sort of needle in her arm. 

She flew out of the tent, the tarp door making a loud popping sound as it slammed shut again behind her. Bellamy wasn’t outside, and for a moment, Octavia let the panic set in. But then, she took a deep breath.

“Think.” She whispered to herself, “Think,”

Flowers. Bellamy mentioned going to see flowers. 

Octavia broke out into a run towards the sunflower field, her mind racing as fast as her legs. Something about this whole situation was just bizzare and if anything happened to Clarke… Well, Octavia has watched Bellamy go through loss in every form of the word, but losing her? He would never recover. She didn’t even want to think about how lost her brother would be without the love of his life. Clarke was his compass, his head, his heart, and his entire damn soul. If Bellamy lost Clarke, their children would lose both of their parents because without her, he’s a shell. 

Octavia finally stopped when she saw Bellamy and Aurora. They were still walking towards the sunflower field, a couple yards away from the entrance. 

“Bellamy!” She shouted, her breaths slightly labored from running the whole way.

He turned around with a look of curiosity that immediately faded into concern and fear when his eyes landed on her. He ran up to her, making Aurora laugh a little with the way it made her shake. 

“What happened?!” He pressed, eyes wide. 

Octavia reached up for her niece, deciding to keep her sentiments short, “It’s Clarke. Go.” 

He didn’t even nod before slipping Aurora into her arms and sprinting passed her and towards the medical tent. 

“Dada?!” He heard his daughter shout, but his mind only had one focus. 

The sprint back to his wife felt like the longest minutes of his entire life. He should’ve asked O what was wrong, at least- just so he knew what he was going to be walking into. All he could think about was that she was in pain, and he wasn’t there. He wasn’t there when she needed him and that wasn’t okay. It was so, so, so incredibly unokay. 

He was sweating bullets by the time he exploded into the tent, a worried yell falling from his lips, “What happened?!” 

His anger wore off slightly when he saw Clarke lying still on the bed with Raven and Jackson hovering on either side of her. They didn’t look sad, but rather confused and concerned. The two turned to him when he walked in, however. 

“She’s alright now, but she had a seizure.” Jackson explained hesitantly.

Bellamy felt bile run hot up his throat like acid. He moved forward on instinct until he was beside Clarke again. 

“Is she…” His words fell off. He didn’t even know what he was trying to ask.

“She’s okay.” Jackson supplied, “I think the chip might have just been pushed a little too far. Anything that even brushes the spinal cord could cause that sort of reaction. If that was the case, she should be fine when she wakes up as the chip settles back into its place.”

Bellamy nodded, but bit his lip and asked with genuine curiosity and fear, “Why is it even still in her head, can’t you just take it out?” 

Jackson looked to Raven, who began explaining, “Not exactly. After Josephine, we can’t be sure whether or not some, or all, of Clarke’s memories or consciousness have attached to the chip. If we take it out, we could be taking away her memories, and/or her life. It’s not doing any harm, so it’s not worth risking it.” 

“It looks like it’s doing harm to me, Raven.” Bellamy grit out, eyes watering a little as he looked over Clarke’s sleeping form.

“Okay. She either has one fluke seizure, or possibly dies. Which would you rather?” Raven snapped, immediately regretting it when Bellamy’s hurt gaze flew up to meet hers. 

“Sorry.” She whispered, “I know you don’t want her to get hurt, but this is the best case scenario. We’ll keep checking in on her until we’re certain she’s all good. Now, I originally came here because I thought you’d want to hear about the EMP.”

Bellamy’s eyes widened and he stepped closer to Raven, “You found out what caused it?”

Raven nodded and then there was a small smile creeping onto her lips, “Total accident.”

Tension Bellamy didn’t even know he was holding flew from his body.

“An accident.” He repeated, awed.

Raven nodded and he could see the relief he was feeling mirrored on her face.

“An electrical grid was hit right around where Clarke was when she was shocked. Some of the trainees were practicing archery with Echo right in that area. I went out a few hours ago to survey, and I was right. There was an arrow in one of the panels.”

Bellamy bent forward and gripped the side of Clarke’s bed, sighing again, “An accident.”

“Nobody was after Clarke.” Raven confirmed, walking over to Bellamy and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “You’re family is safe.” 

Bellamy shot up then and grabbed Raven, pulling her into his arms and resting his chin on the top of her head. She quickly returned the embrace.

“Thank you, Raven.” He whispered wholeheartedly. 

“Of course.” She replied, patting his back and then falling out of his embrace. 

He smiled sadly as his gaze trailed from Raven to Clarke. 

“If you want to stay here, I can tell Madi everything when she gets back.” Raven suggested, trying to be helpful, “It should only be an hour or so before it gets dark, so the trainees should be coming back soon anyway. I’ll send her here.”

Bellamy nodded appreciatively, “Thank you.” 

Raven nodded in return and moved to leave the tent, but then Bellamy stopped her, “Wait.”

She jerked around to face him with eyebrows raised high in question.

“O has Aurora, do you mind-”

“Of course I’ll get her too.” Raven affirmed before he could even ask, leaving the medical tent right after. 

After Raven was gone, Jackson tapped the back of his clipboard awkwardly and turned to Bellamy, who only had eyes for Clarke.

“Her vitals are strong. I expect a full recovery, but I’ll need to monitor her overnight.” 

Bellamy nodded just barely, reaching forward to place his hand over hers. 

“Alright. I’ll leave you alone, then.” He whispered and when Bellamy made no move to stop him, Jackson walked out of the room. 

Bellamy waited until the door closed to turn back to Clarke. He wished he asked if they gave her something to sleep or if this was just her exhaustion. He wanted to know whether or not she’d be waking up soon or if it wouldn’t be until tomorrow. 

She looked so peaceful like this. When she slept, the weight of the world left her shoulders. The little worried lines between her eyebrows faded away and her lips didn’t hold a frown. Maybe he could focus on that- on the positives- if the steady machine beeps would stop. All the little noises just reminded him where they were. Her hair was a mess, all tangled and flowing around her face and across her shoulders. Yeah, Bellamy thought, I can fix that.

Everything else he just had to wait for, but her hair? That’s something he could fix now.

So, he scooted his chair up to the top of her bed and gently lifted her head, parting her hair in the back and dividing it equally on both sides. He tossed the half farther away from him over her shoulder and put her head back down so he could start working on the side closest to him.

“O used to make fun of me for knowing how to do this.” He mumbled half to her and half to himself as he began french braiding, “But still, she always asked me to do it.” 

He laughed a little to himself as he continued sliding his fingers through her hair, “Such a little hypocrite.” 

“I’m pretty sure I told you this already, anyway. I don’t remember. When I’m talking to you, things kind of just come out of my mouth before I can even think about them. It’s part of the reason I love you.” 

He paused for a second, instinctively waiting for her say it back. The whole situation hit him ten times harder when the silence remained unbroken.

“You know, when we were thinking about names for our baby, way before we knew her actual gender, you said that if we had a girl, you wanted to name her after my mom. I… I was hesitant at first. I remember thinking why mine? Abby was a hero, too. I didn’t think it was fair to name her after just one of our mothers when they were both such important people to us.” He sighed, “You probably still think it was your words and your antics that convinced me to name her after my mom, but… hate to break it to you, babe.” 

He smiled to himself as he continued braiding her hair, “I used to read this story to Octavia called ‘Sleeping Beauty’. It was one of those really old books that lost meaning over time, but it was one of the only ones my mom could afford. It was about a strong and beautiful princess. Wanna know what her name was?” He paused for affect, “Aurora. I just… Clarke, you’re my princess. You’re always going to be that. But, when you got pregnant and we found out it was a girl… I was so incredibly happy. I couldn’t stop picturing a little mini you running around here, wreaking havoc. My mini princess.”

He tied off the first braid and shifted in his seat to start on the second, “I agreed to Aurora partly because of my mother, yes, but the other part of it was because of you. Because you have always been the best part of me, and I wanted my child to carry that with her. So, I named her after my mom, and I named her after you- after my princess.” 

He laughed quietly, “It’s funny. I never in a million years would have thought she’d get your freaking blonde hair. I was hoping for it. I was hoping for it with every cell in my damn body, but I didn’t expect it. I went through biology classes, I knew that dark hair genes were dominant in almost every way. When she started growing those gorgeous golden waves, I could scream. I wanted her to look like you, love. You’re much more attractive than I am.” He smirked, “She’s a mini you in every sense of the word and I’ve never been more grateful for anything.” 

His eyes trailed over her pale, motionless face as his fingers continued working in her hair. Bellamy let out a deep breath and tried to think of what else to say. He just wanted to fill the silence. It was much too quiet.

“You know.” He laughed to himself as he decided on the topic, “I used to have a massive crush on you. Way way back, when we first landed on the ground. I thought it was the sexiest thing ever when you’d get all up in my face and fight me on shit. You were so brave and strong willed. You didn’t take crap from anyone, and I admired that a lot. I still do. The night I was planning on running, before you got me pardoned with Jaha, I was going to ask you to go with me. Even then, I think I knew that as long as I had you, everything would be okay. Then there were wars, and the mountain, and deaths, and the city of light, and everything that came after those, and… I just didn’t have time to wonder about what it would be like to be with you. I knew that if we got involved, I’d be ruined. I’d never want to touch another girl again for the rest of my life. I needed to wait for you. Wait until I didn’t have to think about how much danger you were in or how likely you were to die.”

He tied off her second braid and leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, “I knew you were it for me. You are the love of my life and my soulmate. You were a path that once I started walking down, I’d never be able to turn back. I’m so glad I started walking.” 

He heard a rustle outside of the tent and a faint humming, so he whispered to Clarke, “Done just in time, huh?” 

He turned around to look at the door just in time to see Madi stumble in with Aurora in her arms. The blonde was laughing and reaching up at the seventeen year-old’s nose, poking it with her chubby fingers. Madi appeared completely unamused, not paying any mind to her sister as she paraded towards Bellamy.

“Hey gir-”

“Please take your daughter.” Madi cut him off with a complaint and started lowering Aurora into Bellamy’s lap before he even got two words out.

“Careful!” Bellamy shouted halfheartedly to Madi when she walked away and let him juggle Aurora by himself until she was sitting safely in his lap. 

“Sorry.” She mumbled before walking up the opposite side of the bed from him and sitting in a chair right beside Clarke’s face, “How is she?” 

“Better, I think. She was just really tired, so she’s resting now.” Bellamy explained, bouncing his thigh up and down to gently rock Aurora. 

“You don’t have to sugarcoat it, Bellamy.” Madi leveled her gaze at him and raised her brows in challenge, “I’m not a kid anymore.” 

He dropped the soft smile from his lips and looked down at Aurora, “Yeah, I know you’re not.” 

Madi jutted her head a little forward to urge him on, but he remained quiet.

“Whatever.” She crossed her arms, “I’ve had to be her doctor before, you know. Back when it was just us, I saw her wounds all the time. I even had to stitch them up. I can handle whatever happened here, too.” 

Of course he knew that. He specifically remembers every time Clarke told him about her and Madi during those six years. The initial bear trap was nothing compared to everything else she went through. It’s just… he felt like he just went through all of this and he was finally starting to accept it and he really didn’t feel like reliving it at the moment.

“I know you can handle it.” Bellamy sighed, “I just… I don’t want to repeat it all right now, okay? I’ll tell you later, I promise.” 

Madi sighed in frustration, but must’ve seen something in his face, because she backed down a lot quicker than usual. 

“I want pretty hair.” Aurora stole his attention, and Bellamy looked down and followed her gaze to Clarke’s braids. He felt his heart swell with pride and affection. 

“Well you’ll have to wait for Octavia, ‘Ror.” Madi announced with certainty, using the nickname she coined ‘hers’ for her sister. 

Bellamy was offended.

“Uhm, I did that, thank you very much.” He asserted with mock offense. 

Madi’s jaw dropped in shock and her voice came out completely awed, “What?!” 

Bellamy couldn’t hold back a laugh.

“How the hell have I gone my entire life not knowing you could braid!” Madi continued, her shocked and irritated tone encapsulating the betrayal she felt. 

“I don’t go around advertising it, kiddo.” Bellamy smiled softly before lowering his voice, “and watch the language.” 

Aurora giggled and pointed to Madi, “Madi’s in trouble!” 

Bellamy felt the smirk creep up his lips when trouble came out sounding a little more like “twouble.” 

“I am not in ‘twouble’.” Madi mocked with an eye roll before turning back to Bellamy and saying with enthusiasm, “You have got to teach me!” 

Bellamy raised his brows, “Oh, I’ve got to, have I?” 

Madi sighed in irritation before lowering her gaze to Clarke and dropping the amusement from her face, “Whatever. I don’t care about braids right now, anyway.” 

He swallowed and followed her sad gaze, feeling the despair creep back to the forefront of his heart. It was one thing for him to see Clarke like this, but Madi? For most of her life, Clarke was the only thing she had. 

“I know, Mads.” He whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to Aurora’s hair, “Tell you what, why don’t you come over here and I’ll show you how to do it on Aurora?” 

Madi’s eyes lit up a little bit, but she bit down on her lip like she felt guilty for getting excited, “I don’t know, Bellamy, it kind of feels weird to focus about braiding when Clarke is… is like this.” 

Bellamy shook his head, “If I know Clarke as well as I hope I do after three years of marriage, I don’t think she’d want her daughters sitting around worrying about her. I think we should just keep talking and braiding. Maybe she can hear us. I’d like to think that our voices soothe her. They let her know we’re right here, by her side.” 

Madi still looked hesitant, but with one glance a Clarke and then back to Bellamy, she nodded and got up out of her seat. She came to stand beside Bellamy and Aurora jumped excitedly in his lap when he started running his fingers through her hair. 

“I want to look like a princess!” She exclaimed with a clap of her little hands, a huge grin on her lips. 

Bellamy felt a pang in his heart. Tears started to flood towards the forefront of his eyes and he had to blink them back. He swallowed as a lump started forming in his throat and took a deep breath.

“You already do.” He said in a breathy whisper as he glided his gaze to Clarke. 

He felt his heart stop beating for a moment when a firm hand landed on his shoulder. Bellamy looked up to see Madi staring down at him with an understanding look on her face. He nodded gratefully and reached up to place his hand on top of hers, giving it a loving and thankful squeeze. It was such a small and simple gesture, but it meant the entire world and then some. 

After a moment, she smiled softly and removed her hand, nudging his shoulder a little instead, “Let’s get braiding, huh?” 

Bellamy nodded and started, “So, first things first…” 

He continued to rattle off instructions and guide Madi’s movements for he doesn’t know how long. Over time, the tent steadily filled with the ominous dark hue of nightfall, and Aurora fell against Bellamy’s chest. Her soft breaths became steady as she lost herself in sleep. Clarke never woke up and he assumed it was safe to say she wouldn’t until morning. Madi was beginning to yawn too, though she tried to hide it.

Jackson came back around midnight. 

“Hey.” He whispered, looking between Bellamy and Madi, “I was just checking in. I can get some of the beds set up if you want to stay the night.” 

“I think Clarke will have another seizure if she finds out Aurora didn’t sleep in the crib.” Bellamy answered with a grimace, part of him knowing his daughter wasn’t old enough to not sleep in the crib, and part of him saying fuck it if it meant he could stay with Clarke. 

“I can stay with Aurora.” Madi suggested hopefully.

Bellamy scrunched his nose up a little and tilted his head to the side, “I’m sorry Mads, It’s just… she kind of needs an adult with her.” 

“I’m gonna be eighteen next year, Bellamy.” She rolled her eyes. 

“I know.” He answered, but didn’t give her any leeway.

“Clarke was a teenager when she raised me.” Madi pressed in a tone that said I know better.

“You weren’t an infant.” Bellamy shot back quickly.

Checkmate.

Madi groaned but gave up, slouching back against the chair and crossing her arms over her chest. 

“So, no beds?” Jackson interjected shyly, awkwardly. 

Bellamy looked over to Clarke and bit down on his bottom lip. Leaving her alone while she was vulnerable went against every single bone in his body, but if she were awake she’d be yelling at him to leave. He felt like his arms were being pulled equally in two different directions and his body was threatening to part down the middle. 

“If it makes you feel any better. I’ll be here all night monitoring her vitals, so she won’t be alone. And if anything happens, I’ll get you immediately.” Jackson offered, “Just so you know.” 

Bellamy closed his eyes and brought the hand not holding Aurora up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Or I could always wake up Octavia or Raven. Get them to stay with Aurora overnight.” Jackson added after witnessing Bellamy’s torn response.

“I don’t know, I…” Bellamy trailed off, teary eyes glued to Clarke.

“Or I could stay with Clarke.” Madi suddenly jumped in, “I’ll stay with her and you can go back home with ‘Ror. That way if Clarke wakes up, she’ll see someone she loves and she’ll know that Aurora is safe in her crib. Win, win.” 

Bellamy turned his head up at that. It was the most logical thing he’s heard so far. Still, it destroyed him on levels he couldn’t explain to leave Clarke’s side right now, but… Madi was right. 

“That actually the best idea I’ve heard.” Bellamy admitted with a sigh, “Are you sure you’re okay sleeping here?” 

Madi nodded immediately, eyebrows furrowing like she was offended he’d even think she wouldn’t want to.

“I don’t want to leave her either.” She whispered truthfully. 

Bellamy closed his eyes for a second before nodding, “Okay.” 

Madi smiled in victory as Bellamy stood up carefully, moving slowly to insure Aurora stayed asleep. He adjusted her limp body slightly in his arms before walking up to Clarke and leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. 

“I’ll see you as soon as the sun comes up.” He whispered, nuzzling his nose against her hair for a moment before pulling away, “I promise.” 

Madi got up when he started to walk away from the gurney and approached him. She wrapped her arms around him in a way that didn’t disturb her sister.

“I’ll see you in the morning.” She whispered, and he planted a kiss on her cheek in response. 

As Jackson began making a bed up for Madi and Bellamy spares one final glance at Clarke, feeling Aurora’s warm body against his chest, he knew.

They were gonna be okay.


End file.
